Italian Vegetables and Chicken - over pasta or rice

Perfect for zucchini lovers and fast to make. This is my Mom's creation. I love how it takes zucchini from being just a side and creates a complete meal out of it. Delicious over rice or pasta.

Chop up:

·      1 zucchini

·      1 red pepper

·      1 red onion

Combine:

·      6 T butter, melted

·      1 t garlic powder

·      1 t McCormick Italian Seasoning

·      1/4 t salt

·      Dash of black pepper 

You will also need:

·      1 pound of chicken, diced

 

Put a large fry pan or wok on the stove and turn the heat to high.

When the pan is hot, add the chopped veggies and then immediately pour the butter with spices mixture over the veggies and stir.

Simmer 5-10 minutes, occasionally stirring.

Add 1 pound of cooked chicken, diced, or remove veggies from pan with a slotted spoon and cook 1 pound of diced chicken in the seasoned butter left in the pan.

Serve the Italian vegetables and chicken over rice or pasta. Without chicken, this makes a great vegetable side for any meal.

 

Stove-top Popcorn

Once you pop you can’t stop. A tasty gluten-free snack that is ready in minutes.

1. In a large pot or wok add 1/2 cup oil.

2. Put in 5 popcorn kernels and turn heat to high.

3. As soon as the 5 kernels begin to pop, immediately add 1 cup plus 1/8 cup kernels.

4. Shake pot over heat and continue shaking every 15-30 seconds until popping slows.

5. Remove immediately, salt to taste and ENJOY!

Warning: Once you've tried this, it will ruin your taste for microwave popcorn.   : )

Note: If you buy your popcorn kernels in a foreign country, you may wish to freeze the kernels for 48 hours when you bring them home. This should kill any larvae that could be waiting to hatch and potentially save you from a pantry moth headache in the future.

How to make Pumpkin Puree

Pumpkin anything always brings memories of language tutoring on autumn afternoons the first year I moved to Asia. My classmate served the most delicious baked pumpkin goods and taught me the essentials of Pumpkin Puree. This friend also taught me Stove-top Popcorn - a staple in my home.

1. Cut a small pumpkin in half.

2. Place the two halves face down in a pan of shallow water.

3. Place the pan in the oven and cook on a high temperature until the pumpkin is soft (a fork goes in easily) – this will steam the pumpkin.

4. The skin will then easily peel off or you can scoop the pumpkin out with a spoon.

5. Mash or blend it to make a puree.

Pumpkin Muffins

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees F.

Whisk together:
2/3 cup sorghum flour
1/3 cup potato starch
1/3 tapioca starch
1/3 cup white rice flour
1/3 cup sticky rice flour
1 Tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon cinnamon

In separate bowl, whisk together:
2 large eggs
1 cup cooked or canned pumpkin
1 cup milk
2/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup chopped pecans

Stir together wet and dry ingredients.

Pour into muffins cups or greased muffin pan.

Bake until a toothpick comes out clean (15-25 minutes).

Makes 16 muffins.

Notes:

If you do not plan to eat the muffins within a few hours of making them, double the vegetable oil and that will keep them tasting fresher longer.

If you're living overseas and can't buy canned pumpkin or wish to use fresh pumpkin, see my How to make Pumpkin Puree post for an easy way to make it from scratch.

(muffin recipe adapted to be gluten free from Joy of Cooking)